NEXT BIG THING
How cool? Very Page 11
● Take a late politician’s son with a penchant for posing, a socialite who can’t stand the fake stuff and a second-time new dad who sings for his supper.
Add a chic new venue with a coveted view, a song that won’t be heard for 100 years, and food and cocktails with a futuristic twist. Ah, yes, the Louis XIII cognac event on Thursday evening in Braamfontein wasn’t your regular social soiree.
Up an elevator of a building in the innercity suburb, then the wood-panelled doors open to Thirteen, a glam champagne and whisky bar boasting panoramic views of the city skyline, where we are offered cocktails like Carbon Footprint, a mix of French liqueur, whisky and verjuice garnished with microherbs atop a savoury wafer.
I take in that view before I am greeted by singer Loyiso Bala, who became a father for the second time just under a month ago.
Loyiso is chatting to rapper Tumi Molekane and one of my fave DJs, Bradley Williams, aka DJ Bionic. Also sipping a cocktail is Mayihlome Tshwete, the son of late ANC stalwart Steve. He is the outgoing spokesman of Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba.
Mayihlome obliges my request to snap a pic but asks: “Can I hold my drink in the pic?”
No, this is not for a billboard, I say, in reference to the time when he was the face of another French tipple a couple of years ago.
That’s the poser and the dad, now how about that socialite?
None other than Tarina Patel, who I admonish for wearing real fur in the form of a snow-white mink shrug.
“You’re right, I should wear fake fur like those fake chiquitas out there,” says the former Generations actress.
Elsewhere in the room I spot a mix of people, including cutlery maker Emma Russell, ex-Selimathunzi presenter Lunga Shabalala, who now dabbles in acting, and a perky new addition to the social scene, Muvhango actress Bukamina Cebekhulu, who is there with her fellow cast members.
Next we’re ushered into another room where we are told about a song by US superstar Pharrell Williams that will only be released in 2117. It was laid down on a record made from clay and held in a safe that’s indestructible unless covered in water.
If, like me, you think this sounds a tad far-fetched, it turns out that the campaign is all about encouraging us to be vigilant against global warming and the effect rising sea levels will have on future generations. Right!
Someone who, it turns out, owns a couple of tickets to the premiere of the song in a century’s time is businessman Mutle Mogase, who just might live long enough to hear it: he tells me his dad, Joburg’s very first democratic mayor, Isaac Mogase, is still going strong at 84.
We all get a taste of the cognac that drew us out for the night, and the penny drops when I find out that this particular tipple took four generations of cellar masters to produce — and costs a whopping R50 000 a decanter.
As for what we ate as Zakes Bantwini hit the decks: a decadent feast starting with salmon sashimi with soy pearls and sesame jus in a Petri dish, grass-fed fillet with truffle oil, slow-roasted pulled lamb on polenta and yummy chicken and leek pot pies.